AGENDA ITEM REPORT
TITLE:
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A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA) STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE (SAFER) GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF TWO MILLION ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY-EIGHT ($2,125,398); AUTHORIZING THE HIRING OF EIGHT ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDICS; AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER, OR DESIGNEE, TO EXECUTE ALL REQUIRED GRANT DOCUMENTS.
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BACKGROUND:
Coconut Creek Fire Rescue provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, rescue operations, and related emergency response services from three fire stations. Fire Rescue currently staffs frontline engines with three personnel, rescue units with two personnel, and one Battalion Chief per shift, maintaining a daily minimum staffing level of 16 personnel.
To strengthen emergency response capabilities and support the City’s continued growth, the City applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program. FEMA has notified the City that its application has been selected for an award, which must be formally accepted within 30 calendar days of the award date through FEMA’s grant system.
DISCUSSION:
Acceptance of the SAFER Grant will enable the city to hire eight additional firefighter/paramedics. These positions will be distributed across the Department’s operational shifts based on staffing needs and will support the recently completed collective bargaining negotiations and the City’s direction to transition eligible fire-rescue personnel to a 42-hour workweek.
The additional personnel will enhance unit reliability, strengthen the Department’s ability to assemble an effective response force, help maintain apparatus availability when personnel are unavailable or committed to other incidents, and reduce reliance on mutual aid during routine and significant emergency incidents. These positions are particularly important as continued residential and commerc...
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